Window cleaning device



July 6', 1937. A. swENsoN E 2,086,054

WINDOW CLEANING DEVICE Film1J May 9, 1935 sheets-sheet 2 v lNvENToRAlban Swenson Patented July 6, 1937 UNITED STATES WINDOW CLEANING DEVICEAlbin Swenson,

New York, N. Y.

Application May 9, 1935, Serial No. 20,579

Claims.

The present invention relates to devices for cleaning the outer surfacesof windows from a position within a room.

While many attempts have been made to pro- 5 vide machines of this type,marketable success has not been attained for many reasons. Generalcumbersomeness, difficulty of operation, the necessity of providingattaching means, etc., have deleteriously affected the commercialacceptance of such devices heretofore.

The present invention seeks to obviate these faults and a major objectof the invention is to provide a simple, eiiicient, portable device forthe purpose which is self-contained.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this characterwhich, when in use, may be appropriately associated with the surfaces ofthe window panes to be cleaned.

Another object of the invention is to provide, 20 in a device of thischaracter, means for guiding such a device for transverse movement alongthe base rail of a window frameV to afford a minimum of effort in itsoperation.

vA further object of the invention is to provide,

25 in a device of this character, means for guiding said device alongrail portions of the inner window sash, whereby the window washing meansmaybe properly associated with the outer surfajcev of either of thewindow panes of either that 30 sash or the outer window sash.

A still further object of the invention is tor provide novel means foroperating the window cleaning means from a position within a room.

Otherobjects such as the provision of-water 35 supply'fmeans for thewindow cleaning means; the provision of means for counterba'lancng thewindow washing means; the provision of novel operating connectionsbetween the window washing means and the manually operating means;

4G etc., and the previously mentioned objects will become more apparentafter perusal of the following speoication in which is described a pre-I ferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated Fig. 5 is adiagrammatic showing of the novel connection means for operating thewindow washing means.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional detail view of an alternate form ofmanual means for operating the window washing means.

Referring to the drawings in greater detail, the window frame ID isprovided with the usual base rail II and with the window sashes I2 andI3 respectively inner and outer, the sash I2 being provided with thewindow pane I4 and the sash I3 with the window pane I5. Y

It is apparent that the inner surfaces of these panes can readily becleaned from av position within the room, and in order to clean theouter surfaces of these window panes the herein con-y Another pair ofrollers 22 are adapted to en-Y gage the outer edge of the base railII,'and a third'pair of rollers 23 are arranged to `engage the innersurface of the bottom rail of the inner sash I2. At the upper end of thecolumn I there Vis preferably provided a long faced roller 24 forengagement against the inner face of the upper rail of said ,inner sash,1n this manner the base with its columns may be guided lfor transversemovement in the window frame.

The column I8 is in this instance shown as being provided with verticalguideways 25 for guiding the vertical movementv of a frame 2B havingportions 2l engaged in the gudevvays and rollers 2S similarly engaged.

A shaftV 29 is transversely positioned in the frame 26 and upon thisshaft is afxed, in a suitable manner, a handle 30. Also positioned onthe shaft 29 there may be provided a flanged drum 3l free on said shaftbut looked.Y thereto by means suchas the nut 32 on the threaded portion33 of the shaft.

At the upper end of the column I8 there is Y provided a transverse pin34 upon which is mounted for free rotation a pulley 35 and at the baseof said column a similar pin 36 freely carries two such pulleys 3'I and38. Y

Also guided in the column I8 is a counter- The weight 38 having a chainor cable 40 trained about a pulley 4l on the pin 34 and connected to thedrum 3| as at 40'. This counterweight is also provided with anothercable 42 trained about a pulley 43 on the pin 36 and connected to thesame point 46 on the drum 3l. This counterweight 39 not only balancesthe weight of the frame 26 and the portions attached thereto, but alsothe window washing means hereinafter described.

The column 20, provided with the vertical guideways, 44 serves to guidethe window washing means generally indicated at 45. This window washingmeans preferably comprises a frame 46 having spaced shafts 41, eachprovided with rollers 48 engageable in the guideway 44.

Intermediate the two shafts 41 there is positioned a shaft 49 upon whichis mounted a pulley 56. Upon projecting ear portions l of the frame 46there is tiltably mounted at 52 a member in the form of a bellcranklever having leg 53 projecting into the hollow of the column 2D, andanother leg 54 normally substantially vertically disposed outside thecolumn. At the mounting point 52 there is preferably provided means,such as the torsional spring 55, normally tending to move the bellcrank53--54 in the direction of the arrow (Figure 2).

The free end of the leg 54 serves to mount a water tank or chamber 56,the upper end of which is provided with perforations 51, and inassociation with said tank there is positioned a rubber squeegee 58.This squeegee is adapted to contact the outer face of either window paneI4 or l5 for washing and cleaning said face in a manner well known.

The upper end of the column 2U is provided with a pin 59 freely mountinga pulley 60, and at the base of column 20 a pin 6l supports the pulley62 for rotation and similarly a pin 63 supports a pulley 64.

The connection means between the frame 26 and the frame 46 may comprisechain means or the like, but in this instance there is illustrated cablemeans for the purpose trained about the various pulleys in the followingmanner.

A chain or cable 65 is attached to the flanged wheel 3l as at 66 thentrained about the pulleys 38, 62 and 60 and having its other endattached as at 61 to the frame 46. Another chain 68 is attached as at 69to the flange wheel 3l and then trained about the pulleys 35, 31, 64 and50 to be attached at to the free end of the leg 53 of the squeegeecarrying bellcrank.

Should the chains or cables stretch unduly, the nut 32 may be loosenedand the drum 3l rotated to take up any slack in the cables. Fixing thenut 32 against the adjacent face of the drum and thus jamming it againstthe handle 36 makes the device again ready for operation.

From the foregoing manner it can be seen that as the handle 36 is movedupwardly the frame 46 is similarly moved and for a like distance, and asthe handle 36 is moved downwardly the frame 46 also moves in thatdirection. However, the squeegee which is normally held out of contactwith the window pane by the spring 55 may be brought into contact withthe outer surface of the desired window pane by swinging the handle 30upwardly as shown in Figure 2. This rotates the drum 3i so as to shortenthe effective length of the cable 68, thereby swinging the bellcrank53-54 inwardly towards the surface to be contacted. When the handle isreleased the squeegee bellcrank, through the medium of its spring 55,returns to a non-window engaging position.

At 1l there is shown a tank preferably supported on the base I6, and inthis tank there may be positioned cylinder and piston means 12 forforcing water from within the tank through a rigid connection 13 and aflexible connection 14 into the tank 56.

The usual valve means 15 may be employed for assuring one-way passage ofthe water in the said connection.

It is apparent that a desired number of reciprocatory movements of thehandle 16 of the piston cylinder means will force sufficient water intothe tank 56 so it may overflow through the orifices 51 for wetting thewindow pane to be operated on by the squeegee 58.

The alternate fo-rm of construction, shown in Figure 6, somewhatsimplifies the frame structure 26 by merely providing a pivot 11 for thehandle 30 upon said frame and connecting the cable 68 to a projectingportion 18, on said handle.

With this structure the effective length of the cable 68 is notshortened but the rocking of the handle 3U pulling on said cable 68pulls upwardly on the leg 53 of the squeegee bellcrank to position thesqueegee against the window surface to be cleaned. When this structure,as shown in Figure 6, is employed, other means quite apparent would beemployed in compensating for stretch or slack in the cable 68.

From the foregoing it can be seen that a simple, efficient and entirelypractical device has been provided for the purpose intended. It is alsoapparent however that immaterial changes in the size, proportion andarrangement of the parts may well be made without departing from thetrue spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. Theseclaims therefore should be interpreted in View of the prior art ratherthan on this specific disclosure.

What I claim as new and desire Letters Patent, is:

1. A window cleaning device comprising a base, means adapting said basefor transverse movement along the base rail of,a window frame, a columnon said base disposed on the room side of the window sashes in saidwindow frame, another column disposed on the opposite side of saidsashes, window washing means carried by said second column, said meanscomprising a vertically swinging member carrying a water receiving tankportion and a squeegee associated with said tank portion, and means inthe rst mentioned column operatively connected with the window Washingmeans for reciprocatorally moving said window washing means vertically,and for swinging the mentioned member towards and away from the outerface of the window pane in one of the sashes.

2. A window cleaning device comprising a base, a pair of spaced columnsmounted on said base, window washing means mounted for vertical movementon one of said columns, a squeegee tiltably mounted on said windowwashing means, handle means movable on and tiltable relative to theother column, and connection means between said window washing means andsqueegee and said handle means whereby when the handleis movedvertically said window washing means and said squeegee are verticallymovable by said handle means and whereby when the handle means is tiltedsaid squeegee may be tilted towards the surface to be washed.

to secure by 3. In a window washing device, a base, a pair of 75.

spaced columns, window washing means vertically movable in one of saidcolumns, a squeegee mounted on said windowk washing means, said squeegeebeing normally urged away from the surface to be washed, handle meansmovably guided on the other column, an adjustable drum associated withthe handle means, and oscillatable thereby, cable connecting meansbetween said drum and said squeegee and window washing means, wherebysaid window washing means and said squeegee are vertically moved whenthe handle is vertically moved and whereby said squeegee is tilted tocontact a surface to be washed when said handle is tilted to oscillatethe drum.

4. In a device of the character described, windo-w washing meanscomprising a vertically movable frame, a tiltable lever mounted on saidframe, a squeegee carried by one end of said lever, means normallypositioning said squeegee in non-engaging relation with a surface to bewashed, a slidably mounted tiltable handle means remote from said windowwashing means and operatively connected therewith by cables forreciprocating said frame by reciprocation of the handle means, an end ofone of said cables being attached to the other end of the tiltable leverfor pressing said squeegee against a surface to be Washed upon tiltingof the handle. Y

5. In a device of the character described, Window washing meanscomprising a vertically movable frame, a tiltable lever mounted on saidframe, a squeegee carried by one end of said lever, means normallypositioning said squeegee in non-engaging relation with a surface to bewashed, a slidably mounted tltable handle means remote from said Windowwashing means and operatively connected therewith by cables forreciprocating said frame by reciprocation of the handle means, an end ofone of said cables being attached to the other end ofthe tiltable leverfor pressing said squeegee against a surface to be washedr upon tiltingof the handle, a water tank associated with the squeegee, and means forsupplying water to said tank, said tank being provided with wateremitting orices.

ALBlN SWENSON.

